Lower Dorn's Deep is TOUGH!

[Klorox]

I'm having a lot of trouble here. Am I making things easier or harder on myself if I ditch at this part of the game and decide to go into HoW instead?

TIA

[Thrasher91604]

Which part? I'm just about done with it (I think), and have found ways to get though it with a minimum of pain.

[Klorox]

Which part? I'm just about done with it (I think), and have found ways to get though it with a minimum of pain.

The baddies who attack me right away give me a hard time.

I didn't have a chance to play for long (maybe tomorrow), so I didn't get very far.

[Thrasher91604]

You mean the flaming salamanders when you enter from the 4-way snow canyon?

Buff up before you go in - prot evil circle, haste, defensive harmony, maybe recitation and prayer (they stack) - better if cast inside cause they debuff you enemies, but takes a while - plus a couple of free movements, protection from fire, and draw upon holy might, strength, etc... Also key buffing spells for melee combat are courage and hope.

Have the bard singing the song of sith for the armor bonus and regeneration.

Then enter and immediately cast 2 of each simultaneously - web and entangle - 4 total. I have 2 sources for each (F/D, R/C, F/C, and Bard). And then beat off the couple that make it through with your frontliners while summoning some undead meat shields between your party and the rest that are stuck. Fire and water elementals work well against the fire salamnders, too, but can take damage from your cold spells.

And go from there using missile weapons and damage spells once the couple that make it through are vanquished.

The web / entangle approach is a bit easier if you pickpocketed the rings of free movement, and I found one in a treasure location, too. Otherwise, just prebuff with the free movement spell, so your frontliners don't get stuck, accidentally.

Also, throwing greater mailison, a curse, recitation, or prayer, after the first trap spell helps to keep the far enemies stuck.

I've found "entrance traps" like these, many times are the hardest part of a level. Once past this, you can lure enemies one at time (works best with scout who can hide in shadows), if they don't use call to arms. If they do then web and entangle them at chokepoints, with undead as meat shields, and cast damage spells on them to create a "killzone" while they are stuck, or pick them off with ranged weapons.

Renew meat shields by re-summoning when they die off. Undead friendly killzone spells are any cold-based spells (especially useful against fire salamanders). Cone of cold and ice storm and otukes freezing sphere come to mind.

Hope this helps....

EDIT: after the initial entrance, you will come upon friendlies you probably don't want to hurt in collatoral damage so use of area of effect spells to do damage is not advised. Just lots of summons and targeted damage and holding spells (when needed) and ranged attacks.

EDIT 2; After the inital volley of trapping spells, slow and grease spells are good, too, if it looks bad. Actually, a grease spell can sometimes stop frontline enemies in time with a simultaneous trap spell, or right before it.

[Aerich]

You're talking about the fire salamanders and tarnished sentries, right?

Here's some tips:

1) Buff up your best melee characters to the max including with Protection from Fire
2) Use Protection from Normal Missiles or Entropy Shield
3) Use blunt weapons
4) Cast tough summons like earth and fire elementals
5) Cast Haste

I use 2-3 characters to hammer down the sentries, and the rest take down the salamanders from range. Be careful how far you move, as you may trigger more and more of these. Don't bother trying to sneak around - Tarnished Sentries can see you, even if you have Non-Detection cast on you. Just seek and destroy.

If you have to, run out and go back to the Aquarium to rest and recover, then charge back in.

Edit: oh yeah, and don't use area-effect spells here if you can help it. If you hurt the slaves that are running around, I think it takes away dialogue options with other NPCs.

[Aerich]

You're talking about the fire salamanders and tarnished sentries, right?

Here's some tips:

1) Buff up your best melee characters to the max including with Protection from Fire
2) Use Protection from Normal Missiles or Entropy Shield
3) Use blunt weapons
4) Cast tough summons like earth and fire elementals
5) Cast Haste

I use 2-3 characters to hammer down the sentries, and the rest take down the salamanders from range. Be careful how far you move, as you may trigger more and more of these. Don't bother trying to sneak around - Tarnished Sentries can see you, even if you have Non-Detection cast on you. Just seek and destroy.

If you have to, run out and go back to the Aquarium to rest and recover, then charge back in.

[Thrasher91604]

I had already forgotten about the tarnished sentries...

Not sure if magical piercing weapons will work, but non-magical piercing weapons will not work. Magical blunts work, as do magical slashing (to a lesser extent I believe (EDIT: hmm, not sure if this was the case for the sentries or the iron golems)).

Having meat shields for the sentries to attack to take the heat off your characters helps a lot.

You can still sneak past the salamanders, and when you run into a sentry, it may cause a call to arms with the nearby salamanders, so I recommend sneaking anyways to find lone salamanders and lure them back to the party after coming out of shadows. Then when you come across a sentry later you get fewer or no salamanders with it.